Describe your event.
The Miss Junior Teen and Miss Teen United States pageants are national competitions for teenage girls, produced by Signature Productions, LLC, as official affiliates of the Mrs. United States National Pageant, held each year in Las Vegas.

How many divisions are included and what are the age ranges?
The two divisions are Miss Junior Teen United States, for ages 13-15, and Miss Teen United States, for ages 16-19.

What are the entry qualifications?
If there is a state director, the entrant must first enter the official state pageant, and if crowned, she will represent that state in her division at the national competition. If there is no state director, then she may enter as an at-large contestant. To qualify, each entrant must meet the appropriate age requirement, be a citizen of the United States, and be a resident of or full-time student in the state they represent.

Are all the competitions required, or are there optional events?
The required final competition segments include Swimsuit, Evening Gown, and On-stage Question, each contributing to one-third of the total score. Optional fun events include the Ball Gowns & Bowling Shoes kickoff party, poolside photo shoot, delegates’ gift exchange, beautiful hair contest, and the delegates’ dinner and fashion show held at a popular Las Vegas locale. These events are designed for entertainment and are not part of the scoring process. The girls tell us that they enjoy these events, because they provide much-needed comic relief that offsets the intense focus required of them as they participate in the competitive side of the pageant.

What can your delegates expect to learn?
From the first point of contact to the end of the national pageant, the girls and their parents learn the importance of focusing on having a good time, being fair, having integrity, and behaving in a sportsmanship like manner.

Does your event support any particular values, social concerns, or non-profit program?
The United States Pageant supports many values, including the importance of teamwork and group cooperation, without which a flawless pageant show cannot be accomplished. The United States system also espouses the values of being supportive and unselfish—examples include state delegates sharing the dressing room space backstage, exchanging accessories, and offering help to sister queens, as well as the national directors’ contributing proceeds from a delegates’ fashion show to an international charity fund.

Why do you feel competitive events are important for participants?
Competitive events such as pageants are important because they provide a very good, positive experience for young women. Whether they are pageant veterans or first-time entrants, girls enter pageants for many personal reasons other than just winning the title. For example, some need to overcome lack of confidence and fear factors, others want to make friends and experience new challenges, while still others are determined to win the crown. The pageant experience not only teaches these young women to raise their own personal bar and step out of the box, but also provides the vehicle to help fulfill whichever quest they choose to pursue.

Why do you enjoy being a part of the competition event industry?
Our reward comes from watching young girls shine on-stage and seeing them take away those life’s lessons that will ensure their future success as students, business professionals, parents, and leaders. We are proud of our past winners’ public-service contributions, such sending packages to military recruits and stocking food banks, as well as those winners who have gone on to entertainment careers. Our titleholders each year bring greater awareness to our values and mission, while also inspiring other young women of their generation to model themselves after winners who care.